Sea, a short film directed by Johnson Chan Chon Sin, a graduate of the Department of Communication (DCOM) at the University of Macau’s Faculty of Social Sciences, and his team of student filmmakers, will screen at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film has been selected for the special section “SFC | Rendez-vous Industry Cinéma de Demain,” taking place 17–20 May, 2026. This section is curated by another DCOM alumnus, Frank Fang Yuanye. Both Cannes and the Cinéma de Demain provide an exceptional platform for recent graduates and promising filmmakers to engage with the international film industry and market.
Sea tells the story of a man working at a car repair shop and his relationship with the sea and his coworker. Beautifully shot in black and white, the film captures Macao’s natural coastline and the real world setting of a car repair shop in Coloane. Produced as part of the Workshop: Video II course, a capstone project for undergraduate students in the Creative Media programme, the film was guided by Professor Benjamin Hodges of DCOM. Sea exemplifies the creativity and originality that the Creative Media Lab strives to cultivate.
Since graduating from UM, Johnson Chan has pursued graduate studies in film and directing in Taiwan. His work has been selected for local and international film festivals, including the Golden Horse Film Festival. Frank Fang, after graduating from UM and the London Film School, founded the Sequence Film Lab in Beijing, which supports filmmakers in realizing their creative visions. He also plays an active role in bringing Chinese films to international markets such as Cannes. DCOM and Creative Media Lab are proud to see alumni from different graduating classes supporting one another and forging their paths in the broader film world.
Link to the festival site: https://catalogue-cinemadedemain.festival-cannes.com/fiche.aspx?id=luWKRBax69A%3d
